A bold plan would dramatically expand the nation's passenger rail network. Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi chaired a panel that has recommended a major national investment in passenger rail service. The proposal would require that Congress authorize spending some $353 billion on passenger rail through the year 2050, or about $5 billion dollars a year.
Busalacchi says the plan also calls for service between Madison and the Twin Cities, and Milwaukee and Green Bay. He says increased ridership on Amtrak's Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha service and on other Amtrak routes indicates the public is ready for rail.